Stovepipe-thimble.



No. 841,736. PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907."

- J. STUBE'R.

STOVEPIPE THIMBLE. APPLICATION FILED 'JULYQ, 1903.

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES PATENT. OFFICE.

UNITED STATES.

JOSEPH S'IUBER, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR- TO STUBER KUCK,

' I OF PEOR'IA, IELINOIS.

STOVEPlPE-THIMBLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

Application filed July 9, 1903. Serial No. 164,893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEPH STUBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Stovepipelhimble, of which the following is a specificati on.

This invention relates to sheet-metal thimbles for stovepipes; and among its objects are .to provide a blank of such character that it may be conveniently nested for shipment or for storage, together with a number of similar blanks, and which by a simple manipulation may be converted into a finished thimble.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blank of the character described with simple and convenient interengaging locking devices, whereby its edges may be securely connected in a simple and rapid manner and without the use of special tools.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the blank that the meeting portions of the same will be overlapped in the formation of a thimble, thus forming a tight and durable joint.

Another and extremely important object of the invention is to so construct the blank that when the thimble is finished there shall be no interior projections, even to the extent of the thickness of the metal from which the device is constructed, which would interfere with the insertion through the thimble of a stovepipe or smoke conductor of an exterior diameter exactly equal to the interior diameterof said thimble.

With these and other ends in view the inventi on consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the blank from which a thimble may be formed, said blank being curved and showing the manner of forming its ends. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a thimble with its ends overlapped and in engagement, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the overlapping and interlocking portion of the thimble.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 10 designates a blank from which the thimble is formed, and 11 and 12 designate the ends thereof, one of said ends 11 being struck outward, as shown at 18, a distance equal to the thickness of the blank, so that when the two ends overlap the inner face of the end 12 will lie flush-with the inner face of the end 11 and no interior projections will be produced. Pairs of slits 13 and 14- are cut into the end 11 and extend transversely of the blank and form straps 17 therebetween, which are struck outward a distance equal to the thickness of the blank. Pairs of parallel slits 15 are cut longitudinally within the end 12 to form tongues 16, the width of each be- 5 ing equal to the length of the slits 13 and 14 and said tongues being so disposed that when the ends of the blank overlap the tongues can be readily inserted into the slits.

In forming the thimble the blank is bent into cylindrical form, so that the end 12 will be overlapped by the outstruck or offset portion of the end 11, and the tongues 16 are inserted outwardly through the slits 14 and then bent over the outer faces of the straps 17 and inward through the slits 13, the ends of said tongues being bent back against the inner faces of the straps.

The blanks from which these thimbles are formed may be manufactured in large quantities at slight cost and shipped either as flat sheets or rolled into the proper curved shape and nested or packed for shipment or storage, and thus occupy very much less space than they would if the ends were permanently coupled. The articles thus nested or arranged are adapted to be sold in'that shape to builders -and others to their increased convenience, as the ends can be readily and quickly coupled by the mechanics when they are to be inserted into the chimney-holes.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim is A Stovepipe-thimble formed of a single rectangular sheet of metal having opposite portions overlapped, the outer portion of the lap being outstruck and having parallel slots,

and a tongue formed with the inner portion of In testimony that I claim the foregoing as the lap and extending outward through one my own I have hereto affixed my signature of the slots and inward through the other in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

slot, the end of said tongue being folded JOSEPH STUBER. against the outstruck portion and snugly Witnesses: between the overlapping portions of the THEO. ABELE,

thimble. EMIL W. Osr. 

